An estimated 170 million people worldwide have been infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the next few years, the number of U.S. deaths for HCV-caused liver disease and cancer may overtake deaths caused by Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The transmission of HCV seems to require blood-to-blood contact. Carrying a single strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA), HCV contains just one gene, coding for a polyprotein that is subsequently cleaved into at least 10 functional proteins. Clearly, the ability to test the blood supply for HCV is of great importance. A sensitive assay that can detect infection at an early stage. Detection of both HCV antigens and antibodies in a single assay would therefore be advantageous.
HCV core detection assays capture HCV antigen from the HCV infected specimens on a solid phase coated with anti-core monoclonal antibodies. The captured core protein is detected by a binding reaction with an anti-core monoclonal antibody labeled with enzyme using standard immunoassay technology. Availability of good monoclonal antibodies to multiple epitopes of HCV core antigen will increase the sensitivity of HCV antigen detection assays. For one thing, multiple antibodies increase the efficiency of the capture of the HCV antigen from specimens onto the solid phase. Second, using multiple antibodies for detection increases the sensitivity of the system by providing a cumulative higher signal. Another advantage is that the use of multiple epitope recognizing antibodies in assays enables the assays to detect specimens infected with different genotypes of the HCV virus.